The Canadian Peony Society 2020 Peony of the Year: Beatnik

“Lactiflora seedling of unknown parentage. First bloomed 1999, first propagated 2006. DOUBLE. Vivid purplish red petals (RHS 66B) are of the cactus dahlia style but flower is double. Petals vary in width with some being narrow and elongate while other wider ones have notched and frilled terminal edges. Flowers can measure 4 to 6 inches in diameter and are held well above the foliage. Leaflets are long and narrow. The plant has many secondary buds. No fragrance. Average height at maturity is 30 inches. Stems do not need support. The flower should appeal for floral design purposes. Named for the social movement and literature of the 1950s which spawned the term “Beatnik” and is in the eyes of the originator reflected in the informal, somewhat rebellious appearance, of the flower.” – Beatnik, created by Dominic Maltais, photo courtesy Lucie Pepin.

Our Mission

 
To promote the growing, improving and use of peonies in the garden and for home decoration; to encourage peony breeding to produce distinctly Canadian peony hybrids; to locate and record locally bred peonies, and produce a national registry of collections and their location; and, to sponsor an annual peony show and encourage regional shows.

What is a Peony?

 
pe·o·ny (pēˈənē) (pronounced pee-uh-nee) any plant of the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae, mostly Eurasian species popular as garden and florists’ flowers. Herbaceous peonies (most varieties of P. lactiflora)—formerly and still sometimes called piney—are hardy, bushy perennials that die back each year. Large, usually spring-blooming, single, semi-double or double flowers commonly range in shades from red to white.

Tree peonies (P. suffruticosa) have a somewhat woody, persistent base and are usually taller than the herbaceous, with more abundant and larger blossoms. Both herbaceous and tree are very long-lived. Both kinds of peony have long been venerated in their native China and Japan. The peony was formerly regarded as both ornamental and medicinal—the roots were used to prevent convulsions. P. brownii is a species of small peony, not horticulturally important, that is native to the West Coast of North America.